National

Two years after a federal judge ruled that New York City's fire department's tests discriminated against blacks and Hispanics, nearly 62 percent of graduates from the most recent class of the FDNY's training academy are minorities.

Arizona's worker safety commission has imposed multiple fines on the state's forestry unit, with the largest coming for "willful serious" violations that left firefighters in dangerous positions. The Yarnell Hill fire killed 19 elite firefighters in June.

It's Day 4 of the White House's new messaging push for the Affordable Care Act. Today the goal is to tell the stories of people with pre-existing conditions who are now entitled to coverage under the new health care law.One such story comes from within the White House.

Wal-Mart has opened its first two stores in Northwest Washington D.C., earning cheers from the Mayor and residents who said they'd be happy to shop in the city and not in the suburbs. But there have been months of debate over the wages the big box store pays its employees. Some activists and lawmakers say employees aren't being paid enough.

Wildlife groups will be back on the scene Thursday off the coast of Southwest Florida where more than three dozen pilot whales are stranded in shallow water. At least 10 of the whales have beached and died. Officials are not optimistic about the outlook for a rescue.

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